With the holidays upon us we are all winding down and preparing to either stay home or travel to spend time with our families. I wish all the Brothers and Sisters in the FPF 8th a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a prosperous New Year. We have lots to be thankful for and I hope you all have a safe holiday. It has been a busy six months working to settle into this position and get to know our issues, the work to be done and more importantly service each of your Locals. I anticipate good attendance at the FPF Legislative week coming up in February (see below for dates) and plan to reach out to each local to confirm your attendance and encourage meetings with you home legislators. Email or text me if you are planning to come to the Walk the Halls event Wednesday, February 3.

I also look to host another Union Symposium in the Spring back on the East side of the District covering important topics helpful to the success of your Local. I have put together some information below that will summarize some of the business in the 8th and the FPF during the past couple months.

Politics

Screenings in the 8th-

In November, the Florida House 8 seat was screened by Quincy L-4343 and Tallahassee L-2339 President - Brad Williams and Ramon Alexander

Ramon Alexander received our endorsement for the seat

Tallahassee L-2339, FPF President Jim Tolley and myself sat down to screen for Florida House 9. Former House Rep Loranne Ausley(D) and newcomer Jim Messer(R) participated. We will take some time to vet the candidates and consult with our political strategists prior to making an endorsement.

Vice President of South Walton L-3516 Bob Wells has been doing the leg work with scheduling the Florida Senate seat 1 to coordinate dates for an upcoming screening. Email Brother Wells at bobwells59@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Both screening are on January 8th at the Sandestin Hilton in the Heron Room near the Seagar’s entrance

We had a very successful Fall Union Symposium this past October hosted by FWB L-2601. We covered topics from negotiations to duty of fair representation and tons in between. We had more than a dozen locals present as well as FPF President Jim Tolley, FPF Secretary/Treasurer Gilbert Marsh, FPF President Emeritus Bob Carver, and several 8th DVP Emerituses; Rick Moak, Shayne Stewart, and Jim Poirrier. Thank you to Brother Matthew Baxley and L-2601 for hosting the event.

Wakulla County Fire Rescue voted on December 2, 2015 to accept the Tallahassee Professional Firefighters L-2339 as their bargaining agent. The vote was 15 yea and 2 nea. Withstanding an appeal, PERC will certify the vote.

Financial Assistance packets for FPF Convention in Jacksonville were mailed out last week, if you misplaced them or need a duplicate let me know. January 16 is the deadline to submit the packet.

Our FPF building is coming along in Tallahassee, last week the builder topped it off with the last piece of steel and memorialized it with an American Flag!

Legislative Updates

Speaking with FPF Vice President Salvatori, the FPF team is tracking many bills on a daily basis with the main focus at the moment on Cancer Presumption, FRS Protection, Forestry FF pay increase, and various EMS issues. Be sure and read the legislative reports coming out of the FPF office.

FPF Executive Board/Council Meeting

The executive council and eboard met in Gainesville, FL in November. Gainesville L-2157 were gracious hosts and showed us a top notch time. We had three Locals present from the 8th district, Tallahassee, Crestview and South Walton. For a point of information, the Executive Council is made up of all of the Local Union/Council Presidents, President Emeritus and the FPF Eboard, while the Executive Board is made up of the DVPs and FPF Eboard. When possible, each Local President should attend and participate in the Executive Council meetings. We here in the Tallahassee were guilty of not being present throughout many years despite the meetings happening in our own backyard, so we understand how easy it is to brush them off but I can tell you, they are very valuable to attend.

Upcoming Events

FPF Robert K. Carver Legislative Conference and King of the Hill Softball Game. See schedule below:

Monday, February 1- Lobbying 101 for New Officers Seminar at Hotel Duval- Times TBD

Tuesday, February 2- Executive Council Meeting followed by Florida Fire Service Caucus Reception that Evening at Duval.

Wednesday, February 3- Day in the Capitol followed by King of the Hill Softball Game

Thursday, February 4- (AM)- continuation of the Executive Council Meeting